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Sabres hope to continue success vs. Sharks

by
Brian Hunter
/ NHL.com

SABRES (1-7-0) at SHARKS (4-3-1)

TV: MSG-B, BELL TV, CSN-CA

Season series: The Buffalo Sabres have won six straight games against the San Jose Sharks, including three in a row in San Jose. The Sharks last defeated the Sabres 5-2 on Jan. 23, 2010. In the two Sabres victories last season Cody Hodgson had the decisive shootout goal in a 5-4 win at SAP Center on Nov. 5, 2013 and opened the scoring with a power-play goal in a 4-2 win at First Niagara Center on Feb. 28. Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth made 36 saves that night.

Sabres team scope: The eight non-shootout goals Buffalo scored in two games against San Jose last season are as many as the Sabres have in eight games this season; they have nine total goals as a result of their 4-3 shootout win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 14. Since their only victory the Sabres have been shut out in three of the ensuing four games. Forward Tyler Ennis, who scored their lone goal during that stretch in a 4-1 loss Wednesday to the Anaheim Ducks, was given Friday off as a maintenance day. "It’s not going the way we planned but we can't pout, can't sulk. We just have to work hard and dig ourselves out of it," Ennis said. "We're all good players. We can make plays. We've had a couple bounces go the wrong way. We've got to create our own chances, create our own bounces and put the puck in the net."

Sharks team scope: Antti Niemi became the first goalie to start consecutive games this season for San Jose when he faced the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets, but lost both games and Alex Stalock will be back in net Saturday, according to CSNBayArea.com. The Sharks have dropped three straight, dating to Stalock's previous start, a 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday. "I haven't played a perfect game all the way through my career. I've had poor games, and it's something that I like to do is come back from a poor game and play well," Stalock said, according to CSNBayArea.com. The Sharks shook up their forward lines at practice Friday, with Joe Pavelski moving down to center the third line and Tyler Kennedy, who has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury, slotting in on the fourth line. Forward Eriah Hayes, who went scoreless in four games, was reassigned to Worcester of the American Hockey League.